In a Facebook writer’s group and Reddit forums, this question comes up again and again: What are the pros and cons of using a pen name?
Many answers are similar, with the ‘pro’ camp weighing in that a pen name does the following:
-Allows you to establish your writer’s persona separate from your identity.
-Allows you to use different names if you write in different genres.
-It is easier to develop a marketing campaign that does not impinge on your personal life.
-You just might not want friends and family to read your work and weigh in if it really isn’t a genre they are interested in.
-Some authors mentioned that they did not want friends and family reading the naughty bits and viewing them differently.
-A pen name allows privacy.
Most of those reasons are why I had to use a pen name, having already self-published an unrelated work of non-fiction under my name.
The main drawback to using a pen name is for people who want their life and personality to be part of their achievement. Using a pen name precludes you from certain marketing efforts like book signings and interviews, I imagine.
One writer said this.
“The one thing I’d always advise new authors to do is consider publishing under a pseudonym. I published my first 3 books under my legal name, and it’s one of my biggest regrets.
You can always reveal your true identity later if you want to. But you can’t undo having published under your real name. Privacy is important and not something to take lightly.”
She further elaborated when asked for more detail.
“I became a private person with age. I don’t want to show my face, share my thoughts on things, etc. At least not attached to my real identity.
Another problem is if you google my name, my current address pops up on some website that shows voter registration. That’s scary. Most authors probably don’t have stalkers, but still… It makes me uncomfortable. Especially being a woman living alone in a big city.
I also dislike having every friend and family member seeing what I’m writing. I’ve felt awkward about sex scenes or violence knowing my dad or grandmother will read. I’ve held myself back from exploring interesting ideas because they were not family friendly enough.
Then there’s work… I was job hunting earlier this year, and it felt awkward that potential employers could see my work if they googled me. Some of my books have topics that could be offensive to certain people. I’m proud of these books, but I’d feel 1000x better if they weren’t attached to the legal name I need for job applications.
I’ve switched to a pen name, but the sad part about that is now I’m having to start over from scratch, and I won’t get to have my previous books as part of my backlist.
Pen names allow you to be as “out there” as you choose. Some authors use them but still show their face and identity, and some want to be totally anonymous. It gives you options. But if you use your legal name, that’s it… you’re out there.”
These comments were in this thread.
Using a pen name should be a serious consideration.
Only two of my friends know what my pen name is, and only two others know I’ve self-published a book. I can’t explain why I don’t want conversations with my friends about my work. If I knew they were interested in my genre, perhaps I would feel differently. I asked one of the two I trusted with this information to give me feedback since I value her opinion (even though historical romance is not her genre).
I got great feedback but heaved a great sigh at the fact that she knows me so well; she thought she saw too much of me in the character’s views. This was a little off-base, as everything mentioned was intentional and was only added because they are part of the story arc. This is what can be expected when people who know you read your work. They will see you in it, or they will try to see themselves or other friends and family in the characters. They will unconsciously look for this. And if you do model characters after people you know, they will be upset.
Pen names are the way to write whatever you want.
DEE HARPER LEWIS 